This invention relates to a process of feeding particulate solids into a pressure reactor operated under a pressure of 5-150 bars, by means of a guide cylinder which is secured to the reactor and surrounds a reactor inlet, which is adapted to be closed, and a stationary feed conduit directed toward the guide cylinder, and relates also to a feeder for carrying out said process. The particle size of the solids may vary wide limits from dust particles to lumps. The specific field of application of the invention is the feeding of particulate coal into a pressure gasification reactor, although the invention is not restricted thereto.
Known feeders for pressure reactors consist either of stationary lock containers, which are adapted to be filled and emptied, or of rotary star feeders, such as are apparent, e.g., from U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,412,118 and 1,814,787. These devices are satisfactory in operation, e.g., when used in conjunction with the gasification of coal under approximately atmospheric pressure. In a gasification process carried out under superatmospheric pressure, however, product gas from the gasification process enters the emptied volume of the feeder. This represents an undesired and disturbing loss. This product gas loss increases with an increase of the gasification pressure.